Evangelization

By Kevin Rakszawski

This week is Jesus Week at Penn, sponsored by the Christian group “Penn for Jesus”.

Earlier in the semester, the Penn Newman Center, the Catholic student center on campus which I am involved in, decided not to participate in Jesus Week this year because Penn for Jesus expressed interest in making the goal of the week evangelization on the Penn campus. Penn Newman, however, was uninterested in participating in evangelization. I am not exactly sure what the reason behind this was.

What are your thoughts concerning evangelization in the Catholic church? Should it be a focal point? Should it be discouraged?

Happy Easter!

By Kevin Rakszawski

Happy Easter, everyone! Okay, so maybe it’s not actually Easter Sunday any longer, but I just got back to my dorm here at Penn after what I would consider a real smorgasbord of Catholicism. Here’s a break-down of my Easter Triduum:

Thursday:

7:30 PM – Mass of the Lord’s Supper (St. Agatha-St. James, West Philadelphia)

9:00 PM – Cheesesteaks at Pat’s and Geno’s (South Philadelphia)

Friday:

4:00 PM – Viewing of “The Passion of the Christ” (Mayer Hall, Penn Campus)

6:00 PM – Meeting for peer advising for next year (Penn Campus)

7:30 PM – Tenebrae Service (St. Agatha-St. James, West Philadelphia)

2:00 AM – Highballs and apple caramel cake (Mayer Hall, Penn Campus)

Saturday:

9:00 AM – Practice test for MCAT (Mayer Hall, Penn Campus)

2:30 PM – Early Easter dinner with the Rakszawski side of the family (Chadds Ford, PA)

8:00 PM – Easter Vigil Mass (Nativity of Our Lord, Warminster, PA)

Sunday:

11:00 AM – Easter Mass (Nativity of Our Lord, Warminster, PA)

1:00 PM – Easter dinner with Gauder side of the family (Warminster, PA)

6:00 PM – Depart home for Penn

10:00 PM – Easter Mass (St. Agatha-St. James, West Philadelphia)

Okay, so you might be wondering why I went to so many masses. Well, I’m a trumpet player, and I really love Easter music. It’s been tough balancing school with religion this past week, as Eric documented in his last post on Lent. Attending so many masses could easily cause one to get caught up in the motions, but somehow I managed to draw something spiritually from each mass. I rediscovered my devotion to St. Gianna Beretta Molla, whom I’ve prayed to in the past during times of poor health, but this time it was to help me in my discernment of a career in medicine. St. Gianna was a physician herself, and I really heard God calling me to pray to her that she may help me in the months to come as I prepare to apply to medical school. Music has always been the greatest form of prayer in my life, and this Easter was no different. It is such a spiritual rush for me to play my trumpet and pour my heart into my music. I feel very satisfied with my spiritual development over the past three days, especially since going in to Holy Week I was having a difficult time focusing in on Christ and the true meaning of Easter.

Lent as a college student

By Eric Snyder

As Lent winds down, I find myself wondering whether it happened at all or not. Lent is supposed to be a time in preparation for the holiest of Catholic holidays. The past couple of Lents, though, have been far less ‘holy’ or focused spiritually for me than I feel like they should be.

I wonder if this is part of adjusting to life as an adult Catholic. In high school (and even more so in grade school), I was in an environment that was, more or less, Catholic. In college, there is definitely a solid Catholic community, but it’s far less comprehensive than in the past.

As a result, I feel like I need to make more of an effort to really make Lent happen for me spiritually. There are no days off, fewer opportunities to relax and reflect, etc; but it is still Jesus’ death and resurrection that we are celebrating, and should therefore be as special.

When I transition into what is a more ‘adult’ life over the coming years, I’m hoping that I can improve the effort that I put into Lent. My surroundings aren’t likely to get any more Catholic, so it’s really going to be necessary for me to recognize the importance of Lent from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday.

Does anybody else feel this way? How have your Lents been spiritually in college?